Trailblazing Women

mousai REMIX returns to 45th Parallel with Trailblazing Women — a program celebrating the power and perspective of women composers across generations. This concert honors the legacy of Fanny Mendelssohn and Grażyna Bacewicz, two influential voices of the 19th and 20th centuries whose music continues to resonate with bold individuality.

Their legacy resonates alongside the voices of Lisa Bielawa and Tomeka Reid, two composers of today, whose works are rooted in storytelling, place, and purpose. Bielawa’s The Trojan Women explores the layered emotional landscape of grief through mythic figures shaped by war, while Reid’s tribute to Chicago’s Grand Crossing draws on interviews with community members to reflect personal histories through music. Together, their music showcases the depth, perspectives, and connections that women have brought to chamber music — rooted in rich histories and dynamic creative voices.